Impactful Integration With Amy

This post is week 7 of 8 in the #8WeeksofSummer Blog Challenge for educators .  I don't know about you, but I always have mixed emotions as we get ready to go back to school.  I am excited about all the potential each new school year brings, but I'm also feeling like summer passed to quickly.  Can you relate?  Throughout this summer I have been searching out my own training through my PLN on Twitter, PD books and other online resources.  I also stumbled upon some new to me blogs and podcasts that I felt like I could really relate to.  One thing all of these resources have in common is that they are focused on one or more of these topics:  how to engage students with high yield strategies a framework that allows students to represent their ideas in multiple ways and to provide students voice and choice in how they express what they know using backward design to choose technology tools after the learning objective has be set innovative teaching methods...

I'm always up for great book recommendations, how about you?  When it comes to fiction, I like to go in pretty blind and be surprised by the outcome.  With nonfiction, I'm pickier. I want to have a good idea going into it if it will meet my learning needs.  Today I'll share a few PD books I read during the school year and in future posts I'll share some I've started reading this summer.  There are so many great books to choose from and it was hard to decide what books to prioritize on my reading list (TBR).  So I thought I'd do a series on my first thoughts based on kindle free downloads to get a glimpse inside the titles on my TBR and narrow down which are a best fit for me. I've been adding to my TBR (to be read) list all school year, waiting for summer to come so I'd have some extra time to dedicate to improving my instructional practice.  I don't know about you, but as a high school librarian I am constantly reading to keep up with current trends...

When the school year ends, I always look at summer as a time of reflection.   What things am I proud of?   What areas do I want to grow in?   What would I change for next school year?   This year was certainly a big year for technology integration.  Being in a pandemic with 100 percent virtual learning happening for over a year, technology expertise became an asset to me in my role as librarian.  Throughout the year, I researched different tools to see what would be a good fit for myself, my staff and my students.  Along the way I found some new favorite tools that I'll be sharing with you, as well as my journey of how my own technology usage has evolved.  I'll also share different professional development opportunities that are available to help you grow in your own journey as an educator.  I encourage you to not stay stagnant.  Always keep learning and growing to build yourself up to be the best version of yourself ...